[China] Alleanze Fiat in Cina

[isogrifo]

SHANGHAI - August 20, 2008: Italian carmaker Fiat is set to restart its China sales network tomorrow, which will sell the imported Bravo and Linea models first. Meanwhile, the talks about locally making the two Fiat models in China are also going on quietly, and the potential Chinese partner this time is Guangzhou Auto Group, not Chery Auto who signed a memo of understanding with Fiat 13 months ago, said xinhuanet.com today.

"Guangzhou Auto is not a bad partner," said an insider familiar with Fiat. "Although its capacity and sales are smaller than those of FAW and SAIC, the profit-making capabilities of Guangzhou Auto are extraordinary." In addition, Guangzhou Auto also needs compact vehicle models to expand its product portfolio for larger market share, and Fiat's Bravo and Linea models can fill this gap in Guangzhou Auto's vehicle lineup.

Fiat also boasts the sophisticated technology of some core auto-parts such as engines and the emission control, which may as well help Guangzhou Auto create its own-brand vehicles. "The two sides are also discussing the possibility of OEM projects," said the sources, adding that Fiat has been in contact with Guangzhou Auto for about three months.

Paolo Arpellino, chief representative of Fiat's China office, has strictly controlled the details of the talks, but industry analysts said that it is impossible to make Fiat cars on the production lines of Guangzhou Honda or Guangzhou Toyota, and that the Linea is unlikely to be locally made in China by 2009 because construction of Guangzhou Auto's new manufacturing facility only kicked off in November 2007.

Fiat may seek to cooperate with Changan after talks with Chery Auto reportedly disrupted. In August 2007, Fiat and Chery signed a memorandum of understanding to build a 50:50 passenger vehicle joint venture and an engine supply contract, but the talks began to stall in early 2008 when Fiat pulled out of Nanjing Auto. In the joint venture, Chery and Fiat had plans to locally produce Fiat Linea, Bravo and Grand Punto, but Fiat cannot satisfy Chery's desire for another model: Alfa Romeo.

[atomicstation2]

Tutto questo caos è colpa di qualche "santone" che ha deciso di produrre la Perla come punta di diamante per sfondare nel mercato cinese. Han perso tempo, soldi e immagine con un modello IMHO a dir poco imbarazzante...che ne pensi Isogrifo?

[isogrifo]

Sicuramente e' stato perso tempo e denaro con Fiat Perla.

Nanjing accusava Fiat di offrirgli prodotti poco appetibili (Palio e Siena e dopo Perla) e Fiat accusava Nanjing di scarso impegno nella JV. Perla e' quindi stato l'ultimo tentativo di riaccendere un matriomonio da molto stanco.

In effetti Perla non era sicuramente una bellezza ma considerando le porcherie che assorbe il mercato cinese meritava forse qualcosa di piu'.

Fiat forse doveva chiudere prima la JV con Nanjing e non provare nemmeno a presentare la Perla.

La JV con Chery risulta molto difficile e Fiat sta guardando anche a Guangzhou e a Changan come possibili partner.

Chery e' un possibile partner molto poco affidabile come d'altra parte la maggior parte dei costruttori cinesi, lo scopo e' l'acquisizione di tecnologia per sviluppare i propri marchi come Fiat ha gia' sperimentato con Nanjing.

[ludico]

ma gli altri costruttori occidentali come si muovono in cina?

[brothersfan]

scusate ma perchè non mettete gli articoli in italiano..........?

sinceramente di questo topic non c'ho capito niente.

[Salvino]

scusate ma perchè non mettete gli articoli in italiano..........?

sinceramente di questo topic non c'ho capito niente.

Quello lo capisco, pero' non e' colpa nostra se i media in Italia , specialmente

in estate, sono lenti a riportare certe notizie.

Pensandoci bene infatti, dovremmo ringraziare AP.

[Prestige]

basterebbe qualche riga di riassunto...

avevo già fatto questa richesta rimasta però inascoltata

[lucaf1]

fiat china struggling in china (again)

from reuters:

New delhi/shanghai (reuters) - italian automaker fiat (fia.mi: Quote, profile, research, stock buzz) said on thursday it is struggling to meet its china sales target and is in talks with potential new partners as it tries to offset sluggish european sales.

Fiat’s problems in china come as data showed a sharp slowdown in the world’s second largest auto market last month due to the beijing olympics and sliding consumer confidence.

Fiat chief executive sergio machionne told reuters the company’s goal of selling 300,000 units in china by 2010 was under threat.

“we have had a number of issues.. We have to firm up other partners, so we may push the timing, ” marchionne said on the sidelines of an auto conference in new delhi.

Fiat had an initial agreement with chery automobile co, china’s fourth largest car maker, to set up a joint venture in the world’s second-largest car market, which was scheduled to start production in 2009.

Asked if fiat was talking to guangzhou automobile industry group co, the state parent of denway motors (0203.hk: Quote, profile, research, stock buzz), marchionne said it may be one of a number of potential partners the company was in discussions with.

Last month, fiat’s chief of china operations was quoted as saying they had discussed technical cooperation with guangzhou automobile.

Sales in other emerging sales were strong, marchionne said.

china car times

[Guest EC2277]

Ma nella FIAT non sanno che esistono altri numeri oltre a 300'000 ed altri anni oltre al 2˙010 o quella è la cifra di vendite con la quale si raggiunge il pareggio del bilancio ed il 2˙010 è l'anno stabilito per la Grande Cessione?

Modificato 6 Settembre 2008 da EC2277

[lucaf1]

Can Fiat pull back from the brink in China?

When Nanjing Fiat first went into operation together in 1999, their cars were selling quite well. Although the models they offered were not terribly exciting, they did offer value for money with a reasonable options package. The models, Fiat Palio, Fiat Palio Weekend (Wagon version), and the Fiat Siena (sedan) were new and exciting when first launched, but their competitors, both foreign and domestic soon caught up with Fiat, and easily surpassed them.

Fiat entered into partnership with NAC in 1999, and sold over 24,000 cars in the first year of production, a sales number that is not at all bad for a company with previously no presance in China. Fiat introduced the Perla into China in 2006, with the hope of boosting Fiats yearly sales figures to the 40,000 marker. The Perla did not reach expectations, as the 2006 yearly sales were just over 37,000 over the combined Fiat range, although it was a year on year sales improvement of over 37%.

Fiat eventually broke off its joint venture with Nanjing Automobile for lack of sales, figure pointing from both sides blamed each other for the JV breakdown. Fiat said that Nanjing were taking away the brightest of Nanjing to work on the MG projects, Nanjing said that Fiat werent giving out any new models, and it was their own fault for falling sales. Fiat has been shopping around in China since, and has signed deals with various automakers in the PRC. Zotye was on the receiving end of a deal to receive the rights to the Fiat Multipla, as well as various Lancia models, Chery were targetted to build the Alfra Range, and Guangzhou Autos were targetted recently for a technological exchange.

Fiats top man, Sergio Marchionne, has said that he wants to raise Fiats annual sales in China to 300,000 vehicles per year by 2010. Considering that in 2008, Fiat has only sold a handfull of vehicles, probably the last of the lines from the Nanjing Fiat JV, Fiat-China now has a massive task on its hand. But can they do it? The estimate from China Car Times is an optimistic one, Fiat can do it, but they need to bring the excitement of their Euro models into the PRC, otherwise the 300,000 cars per year figure is nothing but fantasy.

China has long been an automotive penal colony for Western car manufacturers, any model that was past its sell by date in Euroland ended up in production in China, although many models were embraced by the Chinese (Like the Santana, and the Jetta) other models were cast out like lepers, the Pegeuot 504 being one example. For Fiat to gain such a turn around by 2010, they need to introduce their full range of autos into China, with the same specification packages that are offered to European customers. Once full production is up and running in China, the Fiat range may not cost as much as the Euro range, but products specs should be left alone.

Fiats commitment to the Chinese market is commendable, although perhaps their re-entry into the Chinese market is more about offsetting sluggish Euro sales with a boost from the Chinese side. Hopefully with a true range of cars, rather than the ‘developing market’ cars that they were offering earlier on this decade, Fiat can truly suceed in China. By the time that domestic production of the recently introduced Fiat import line up, many of the original Fiat buyers may well be in the market for another Fiat, could brand loyalty still be big for Fiat after an absense from the market?